Managing strict confidentiality, Ellington scrambled to keep the flimsy façade of solvency intact, but the company and his personal life threatened, Ellington panicked, and made the decision to dip into the trust to cover the company's position.

In far less time than it took to accumulate, the trust was savaged and a new and more threatening problem had arisen. Angry over the lack of attention she had known as a child, and to the current business concerns, Cynthia, selfishly, and out of spite, became engaged.

When a date for the wedding was announced, Ellington really panicked. He realized his beloved granddaughter was anything but, and out of pure vindictiveness, she was going for the gold - of which there was none!

The man she'd chosen as a husband, Jarmon Wyatt, was pegged as an avaricious philanderer, and fringe player on the court of commerce. Ellington began casting about for a means to stop the marriage.

Lawrence, who now saw his own future in jeopardy, was on the same page as his father, but was unwelcome as an ally, having caused the mess in the first place.

In the weeks leading up to the wedding, Ellington tried everything to change Cynthia's mind, while at the same time he and Carlton were frantically manoeuvring to repair the trust. Both campaigns were failing miserably.

In a final desperate move, they devised a plot which would not only delay payment of the trust, but hopefully, teach his granddaughter a life lesson as well. They added a codicil directing it be activated only after the first anniversary of her marriage, as vowed, to the same man.

When he tried one last time to dissuade her from marrying Jarmon, Cynthia told him to mind his own business, flaunting her opinion of his advice. She married almost immediately, without ceremony, expecting the promise of the trust to become a reality.

Ellington kept his word, and the trust documents were presented as her sole wedding gift, but when she read the new terms, her horrified reaction was more than a little satisfying to him after being so disappointed in someone to whom he'd devoted so much.

Cynthia and her new husband Jarmon would have to remain wedded and living together for a full year. If either partner breached the fidelity of the marriage in any way, all would be forfeited, and when Ellington died, she would receive nothing from his estate.

In that event, Lawrence would receive control of the trust, but only for reinvestment in the company. Ellington had deliberately ignored providing any money for his son; instead, he was guaranteed life tenure as president and CEO of the family business.

That way, he could use the money but would always be accountable, and would need to work to provide any income.

Lawrence fumed over his father's edict with the prospect of an entire year of his financial future being in limbo. If his daughter did secure the trust he would be reduced to nothing more than a salaried employee of the company, holding a meagre ten percent of the business.

The alternative wasn't much more to his liking, but at least he would have the use and some control over the money; there was nothing for it, Cynthia's marriage had to fail now. This became Lawrence's obsession, and didn't go unnoticed by Ellington, who silently cheered him on.

The year marched on with no positive results for Lawrence or his father. The marriage was still intact and though they all knew about Jarmon's penchant for straying, nothing solid could be proven. Now with only a little over a month remaining and little progress to enjoy, Lawrence, with mounting frustration, stepped up his campaign to crush his daughter's marriage.

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Lawrence Bravo took as many pages from his father's book as necessary to make a good showing in his position of company president. One of those pages dealt with the exploitation of those around you for your own ends. Lawrence loved that page, and used it more than his father ever did, and was about to use it again.

Karen Winsett, one of Bravo's client advisors, nurtured the impression among her fellow workers that she had an inside track in company decisions, and that Lawrence Bravo valued her opinions very highly.

Lawrence had seen Karen's manoeuvres for exactly what they were, and book-marked her as ripe for picking, making use of her naïve confidence with relish, and enjoying more than just her opinions.

This manufactured relationship left Karen wide open to his plot to sabotage the marriage. He called her into his office and hit her with the ultimatum that if she truly enjoyed, and wished to keep her position in the company, she would comply with his demand without argument.

His stick was immediate dismissal with loss of all benefits. His carrot was promotion, increase in salary and benefits. Her response was as expected; she wasn't being asked to do anything she hadn't already done on her climb toward the glass ceiling.

The only difference was there was no allowance for failure, and she had just over thirty days to succeed. Karen created a page of her own in lessons for life.

Through gossip and whispers, Carleton took about ten seconds to realize what Lawrence was up to, and while this was exactly what the problem needed, it was very risky. If he failed, Carlton worried there wasn't enough time to recover the trust without discovery, and he was sure Cynthia would make a lot of noise with the right lawyer.

A solid plan B was definitely required.